Once Ms Willcocks had agreed to commit her time and no other date could be found to split the events, we decided to go ahead with the School of Rock on Friday night. The invitation to form bands was sent out just before half-term, along with revision sheets and exam schedules. It would be alright - they were only Summer exams!

The early bands came from Years 4, 5 and 6. One was from a boy whose mother had been an early objector. I was pleased to see the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ attitude! The argument was that School of Rock was just for the outgoing, cool kids and not open to everyone. I am confident that the event shunned this concern, and we saw boys (and girls) from across the school all giving it a go and in some cases surprising themselves and their parents.

The boys went through a series of auditions with Ms Willcocks where she gave advice and sent the boys away to practice further. The enthusiasm from the Year 8s was fantastic as they created about ten bands with about fifteen boys involved. They managed to consolidate this to a manageable amount in the days running up to the evening.

Then came the evening’s masterstroke. Ms Willcocks decided to spread the talent between the Octagon Stage and the Pilgrims’ Hall, with a further stage for some solo acts. Both stages were well attended through the evening. Mr du Plessis told me the Pilgrims' Hall reminded him of being at a gig in one of the underground rooms in a London bar, perhaps without the sticky floor and smell of stale beer!

The evening was closed by the Shambles, a reformed parents’ band. It was a great pleasure to perform with a hugely talented bunch. With this lot as role models demonstrating how much fun can be had through music, it is easy to see why there is so much talent and enthusiasm for this type of music coming through from the boys.

It is an event that I have always loved and it certainly got the weekend rocking!

Saturday morning saw a few blurry-eyed parents return for the Sponsored Walk, and it was lovely to watch so many boys setting off for their 9km or 6km walks. They all did extremely well and returned for the mini-fête. The stalls from the School of Rock had been replaced with new ones, and Mrs Duncan and Mrs Leslie had set up their second-hand clothes stall.

Dave Cheshire and Robert Margossian had replaced their extremely well stocked bar with a BBQ and were ready for the hungry walkers' return.

The fête seamlessly led into school lunch and the Saturday afternoon Set Cricket, helped by the SCC coming out to sing one of their numbers in the middle of the quad! There was a lot of competitive cricket from the boys both in the senior and junior parts of the school.

The Festival weekend concluded with the Parents v Staff cricket. This was a very enjoyable game that ebbed and flowed within the pairs format, and the result came down to the last ball and to know how it ended, you will need to read Benoy’s match report!

There are so many people to thank. Ms Willcocks was a superstar, and I am confident she will develop the evening to become better and better in future years. Mr Duncan is the unsung hero; he has to do so much behind the scenes to make the days run smoothly. Sam Birks and her team were again sensational, and Andy Clark and the maintenance team brought out their A game! Angela Slater quietly gets on with ticket registration and has been a star all year with her support for the PPA. The PPA committee all performed their roles with aplomb. The Reps were sensational in rousing the troops to help with the stalls on both days (a topic I will return to!)

Lastly to all the boys (and girls from St Swthun's) for forming their bands and brilliantly entertaining us all.

George Burnand
PPA Chair 2023-24